Jasmin Stowers facts for kids

Jasmin Stowers racing at the 2015 Bislett Games.

Jasmin Marie Stowers (born September 23, 1991) is a former American track and field athlete. She was known for competing in the 100-meter hurdles race. Her fastest time in this event was 12.35 seconds, which she achieved in 2015. This amazing time placed her among the top hurdlers in the world.

Jasmin ran for Louisiana State University (LSU) during her college years. She was the runner-up at the NCAA outdoor championships in 2014. In 2015, she became the American indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles. Jasmin also represented the United States at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics. She announced her retirement from the sport in October 2020.

Early Life and School Years

Jasmin Stowers was born to Ronald and Gena Stowers. She grew up in Pendleton, South Carolina. She went to Pendleton High School. Jasmin was a very good student. She was on her school's academic honor roll for five years. She also served as the president of the National Honor Society.

While in school, Jasmin started competing in track and field. She made her first international appearance when she was just fifteen years old. This was at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics. There, she ran her fastest time of 13.52 seconds in the 100m hurdles qualifying race. She finished fourth in the final youth event. That same year, she placed third in the 60m hurdles at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

Jasmin became a top national athlete in 2008. She won the Nike Outdoor Nationals and came in second at the USATF Junior Olympics. In 2009, she was ranked as the number one high school athlete. She won the Nike Outdoor Nationals again with a time of 13.59 seconds. She also won the Junior Olympics and Nike Indoor Nationals titles that year.

College Track and Field Career

Jasmin Stowers received a scholarship to attend Louisiana State University (LSU). She began studying Nutrition and Food Science there in 2010. She joined the university's LSU Lady Tigers track and field team. In her first big college competition, she placed sixth in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Women's Track and Field Championships. She set a personal best time of 8.12 seconds. She also won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles both indoors and outdoors. She set a personal best of 12.88 seconds at the outdoor meet. She won at the Penn Relays and reached the quarterfinals at the NCAA Outdoor Women's Track and Field Championships.

In her second year at LSU, Jasmin won both her SEC titles again. She was a finalist in NCAA competitions both indoors and outdoors. She won the Penn Relays for the second year in a row. She ended the year with a best time of 12.92 seconds for the 100m hurdles. Because she focused on her studies, she was listed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll that year. At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, she reached the semi-finals.

In 2013, she won her SEC indoor title for a third time. She was only the second person from Louisiana to do this, after Lolo Jones. She was again an NCAA finalist both indoors and outdoors. She finished third in the 60m hurdles indoors. She had a hamstring injury during the middle of the year. This injury affected her performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships. She was again on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2013.

In her fourth and final college year, Jasmin finished in the top three at NCAA competitions. At the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships, she set a school record of 7.94 seconds. She took third place in a very close race. The top three runners finished within one hundredth of a second of each other. The 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships had similar results. Jasmin finished second in a wind-assisted 12.54 seconds, just behind Sharika Nelvis. She was also second to Kendra Harrison in SEC competitions, both indoors and outdoors. Her third win at the Penn Relays made her the first woman to achieve that. She ended her college career strongly at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She set a personal record of 12.71 seconds in the qualifying round. She reached the final and finished fourth, her highest senior national ranking.

Jasmin Stowers finished her college career with five SEC titles. She also earned seven All-American honors in NCAA competitions.

Professional Running Career

Jasmin Stowers started her professional career very well. She won a national title at the 2015 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Her winning time of 7.84 seconds was a big improvement for her in the 60m hurdles. Now that she could focus only on hurdling and not also on school, she saw great results. At the Drake Relays, she ran a new personal record of 12.40 seconds. This was three tenths of a second faster than before. She also beat Olympic champion Dawn Harper-Nelson and world champion Brianna Rollins in that race.

She improved even more at the Jamaica International Invitational, with a meeting record of 12.39 seconds. Her first time competing on the 2015 IAAF Diamond League circuit showed she was a top international athlete. She won the Doha Diamond League meeting with a series record time of 12.35 seconds. This moved her up to seventh place on the all-time rankings for the 100m hurdles. In October 2020, Jasmin announced her retirement on Twitter. She said an ongoing spinal injury made it very hard for her to train and compete at the highest level.

Personal Records

• 100-meter hurdles – 12.35 seconds (2015)
• 60-meter hurdles – 7.84 (2015)

National Titles

• USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
  • 60-meter hurdles: 2015

International Competitions